Simple Spring Cleaning Checklist

According to my calendar, spring sprung last month. I wish someone would tell the weather in Chicago that. It snowed here last week. Seriously, the hashtag, #SummersCanceled is gaining popularity here. Anyway, with spring comes the age-old tradition of spring cleaning.

Did you know messes actually cause stress? Clutter distracts us. It causes over stimulation and makes us feel anxious, guilty, and less creative. Along with cleaning out and organizing your room, apartment, or house, try spring cleaning with some small steps to help relieve your stress.

• Computer: No better place to start the spring cleaning than right at your fingertips. Clean off and organize you desktop, and get a cleaner workspace. Go through your folders and get rid of the photos and files you don’t need. Yes, the kitten pictures are funny, but they are taking up valuable space and slowing your computer down.

• Workspace: A clean, organized area to work makes easier getting things done easier, and it makes your task list less daunting. Clear up all the random papers on your desk. Filing papers away where they belong. Hanging folders, small shelves, and other small organizing tools can make a big impact.

• Purse or bag: Let’s lighten your load, literally. Throw away all the receipts and wrappers in your purse. Collect all of the lose change jingling around in your bag. You might even find stuff you’ve been looking for or something you didn’t even know was in your bag. I usually find jewelry I’ve ditched after work.

• Car: Get everything you don’t need out of your car, and throw away all of those Micky D’s to go bags. Extra weight in your car negatively affects your gas mileage. I just took out four chairs from the trunk of my car from a bonfire from a few weeks ago and found three beach towels. I wondered how long they’ve been in there.

You may not have started spring with clean spaces, but now you can get a fresh spring start with a few simple steps.

• Go Green: Did you know you can clean with natural ingredients?  Vinegar can be used to clean, brighten, and deodorize all sorts of things!